Although we have been home since March 18, our students continue to learn everyday through remote learning. We hope everyone and their families are safe. Today is World Autism Awareness Day. Our latest edition of Brimm News! features Mrs. Jennifer Brady, Special Education Teacher, some of our seniors, and the many events that make our school amazing. Enjoy and stay safe!

November and December were full of many memorable events including homecoming and the annual blood drive hosted by the Red Cross Club. Read about these events and more in the latest issue of Brimm News! From all of at Brimm Medical Arts High School, we wish you a happy 2020.

The first marking period is already over and October was a great month for our school. Read the first issue of Brimm News! to learn what are students are doing and about important information for upcoming events. Below are some highlights.

In October, four students presented their research project at the national conference for the Biomedical Engineering Society at the Philadelphia Convention Center. Over 5,000 scientists from across the United States and Canada attended the conference.

Recently at the 2019 Sustainable Jersey for Schools awards ceremony in Atlantic City, Brimm Medical Arts High School won the Sustainability Champion Award in the high school category. Through efforts to recycle, reduce energy, conserve water, and create a greener society, Brimm achieved the highest number of points.

We hope to see everyone at report card night on Tuesday, November 26 from 2:00 pm – 6:00 pm.

The faculty and staff at Brimm Medical Arts High School welcomes you back! We are really excited for the new school year and look forward to a great year. The back to school issue of Brimm News! has the latest updates, information about upcoming events and highlights students that interned over the summer. Be sure to also follow us on Facebook and Twitter for more updates throughout the year.

When I was younger, I knew very little about my grandfather’s life in Germany and experience during the Holocaust. I knew that most of his family did not survive, including his parents and two siblings.

A record of my grandfather’s brother and sister, both killed in Auschwitz. geb am means born on the followed by their birthdates. Todesort means death place. Verschollen means missing, lost, or forgotten.

His older sister was born in 1908. According to records, she married her husband in 1930. He was also born in Poland. She was able to come to the United States and both are listed as living in New York on the 1940 census. They did not have any children. My grandfather first went to Columbia after the war and his brother to Israel. They both eventually came to the United States, married, and had two children. Each had a son and a daughter. My grandfather and his brother did not speak about the horrors they experienced. It was in their past, too painful to remember, and they didn’t want to upset their children. They just wanted to move on.

For a long time, I thought most of his family died during the Holocaust. Growing up, I heard about a cousin that survived; she was only four years old when her family left Germany. I finally decided to contact this cousin. That phone call led to a trip to Florida to meet her and learn there were more survivors and generations of family I did not know about.

“Yes, there were many of us that survived.”

Hilda, my grandfather’s cousin, is now 85 years old and lives in Florida. She was born in Berlin, Germany and is the youngest of four children. Hilda was only four years old when she and her family escaped Nazi Germany. Visiting her was surreal. She had so many stories, through oral history and books, that she shared with me. She has visited Berlin, where she and our family lived. Her research traces my family back to the 1830s. It connected so many missing links I thought I would never find.

It felt like my grandfather was back and his story had a voice again.

In Hilda’s possession were many books. My family is originally from Brooklyn, New York and I grew up in North Jersey. I moved to South Jersey in 2006 and couldn’t believe that I had distant cousins that settled in South Jersey after the Holocaust. Two of the books were published by Stockton University, which is only 45 minutes away from where I now live. My family’s history was at my fingertips and I was eager to learn more.

The family photos showed me what they looked like and the pages were the voices to their story.

The Sara and Sam Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University was happy to help and share what they knew about my family. When you first walk into their center, their walls are filled with pictures of survivors interviewed for a book they published.

More voices to tell a story.

Phillip Goldfarb. Photo courtesy of the Sam and Sara Schoffer Holocaust Resource Center at Stockton University

In the gallery is a picture of Phillip Goldfarb. Phillip survived the Siberian and Kazakhstan work camps. After the war, he returned to Europe looking for family. He later immigrated to the United States and settled in South Jersey. Phillip also published his brother Julius‘ diary, detailing his own experiences. The diary was found after Julius died.

The books written by Phillip Goldfarb. Published by Stockton University, New Jersey

Goldfarb, my grandfather’s name.

Although he is a distant cousin, I couldn’t believe I was seeing that name again and it was connected to my family. This man, his family, all connected to Hilda, who is connected to my grandfather. There were more survivors. Through their voices, I can better understand my family’s story and feel connected to my grandfather once again.

Phillip passed away in 2013 at the age of 91. Below are more resources about Phillip.

Alone No More is a video by Stockton University in 2007. Phillip is first seen at 1:20 minutes and again at 7:58 minutes.

On Friday, June 21, staff, friends and family honored the Class of 2019! Earlier in May, our seniors and juniors had a beautiful prom at the Collingswood Grand Ballroom. They have ended this chapter of their lives and are eager to start the next. Click here to read our graduation issue of Brimm News! On behalf of my colleagues and myself, thank you for an amazing year!

This is an exciting time of year! Soon, we will bid farewell to the class of 2019 but for now, we have much to celebrate. On May 21, the seniors announced their final decisions during Senior Signing Day and on May 24, thirteen students were inducted into the National Honor Society. We are beyond proud of our students and look forward to celebrating graduation of Friday, June 21. Click here to read the latest issue of Brimm News! which highlights both stories and more!